Snap pea variety SL3123

ABSTRACT

A novel snap pea cultivar, designated SL3123, is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of pea cultivar SL3123, to the plants of pea line SL3123 and to methods for producing a pea plant by crossing the cultivar SL3123 with itself or another pea line. The invention further relates to methods for producing a pea plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other pea lines derived from the cultivar SL3123.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive Snap Pea variety(Pisum sativum), designated SL3123.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirableplant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with the analysis and definitionof problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishmentof program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives.The next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meetthe program goals. The goal is to combine in a single cultivar or hybridan improved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm.These important traits may include fresh pod yield, higher seed yield,resistance to diseases and insects, better stems and roots, tolerance todrought and heat, and better agronomic quality. With mechanicalharvesting of many crops, uniformity of plant characteristics such asgermination and stand establishment, growth rate, maturity and plantheight is important.

Choice of breeding or selection methods depends on the mode of plantreproduction, the heritability of the trait(s) being improved, and thetype of cultivar used commercially (e.g., F1 hybrid cultivar, purelinecultivar, etc.). For highly heritable traits, a choice of superiorindividual plants evaluated at a single location will be effective,whereas for traits with low heritability, selection should be based onmean values obtained from replicated evaluations of families of relatedplants. Popular selection methods commonly include pedigree selection,modified pedigree selection, mass selection, and recurrent selection.

The complexity of inheritance influences choice of the breeding method.Backcross breeding is used to transfer one or a few favorable genes fora highly heritable trait into a desirable cultivar. This approach hasbeen used extensively for breeding disease-resistant cultivars. Variousrecurrent selection techniques are used to improve quantitativelyinherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use of recurrentselection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease of pollination,the frequency of successful hybrids from each pollination, and thenumber of hybrid offspring from each successful cross.

Each breeding program should include a periodic, objective evaluation ofthe efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluation criteria varydepending on the goal and objectives, but should include gain fromselection per year based on comparisons to an appropriate standard,overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number of successfulcultivars produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, per dollarexpended etc.).

Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested and compared toappropriate standards in environments representative of the commercialtarget area(s) for at least three years. The best lines are candidatesfor new commercial cultivars; those still deficient in a few traits areused as parents to produce new populations for further selection.

These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing anddistribution, usually take from eight to twelve years from the time thefirst cross is made. Therefore, development of new cultivars is atime-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficientuse of resources, and a minimum of changes in direction.

A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that aregenetically superior, because for most traits the true genotypic valueis masked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors.One method of identifying a superior plant is to observe its performancerelative to other experimental plants and to a widely grown standardcultivar. If a single observation is inconclusive, replicatedobservations provide a better estimate of its genetic worth.

The goal of plant breeding is to develop new, unique and superior snappea cultivars. The breeder initially selects and crosses two or moreparental lines, followed by repeated selfing and selection, producingmany new genetic combinations. The breeder can theoretically generatebillions of different genetic combinations via crossing, selfing andmutations. The breeder has no direct control at the cellular level.Therefore, two breeders will never develop the same line. Each year, theplant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to the next generation.This germplasm is grown under unique and different geographical,climatic and soil conditions, and further selections are then made,during and at the end of the growing season. The cultivars that aredeveloped are unpredictable. This unpredictability is because thebreeder's selection occurs in unique environments, with no control atthe DNA level (using conventional breeding procedures), and withmillions of different possible genetic combinations being generated. Abreeder of ordinary skill in the art cannot predict the final resultinglines he develops, except possibly in a very gross and general fashion.The same breeder cannot produce the same line twice by using the exactsame original parents and the same selection techniques. Thisunpredictability results in the expenditure of large research monies todevelop superior snap pea cultivars.

The development of commercial snap pea cultivars requires thedevelopment of snap pea varieties, the crossing of these varieties, andthe evaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selectionbreeding methods are used to develop cultivars from breedingpopulations. Breeding programs combine desirable traits from two or morevarieties or various broad-based sources into breeding pools from whichcultivars are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes.The new cultivars are crossed with other varieties and the progeny fromthese crosses are evaluated to determine which have commercial potentialas a new cultivar.

Pedigree breeding is used commonly for the improvement ofself-pollinating crops or inbred lines of cross-pollinating crops. Twoparents that possess favorable, complementary traits are crossed toproduce an F1. An F2 population is produced by selfing one or severalF1's or by intercrossing two F1's (sib mating). Selection of the bestindividuals is usually begun in the F2 population; then, beginning inthe F3, the best individuals in the best families are selected.Replicated testing of families, or hybrid combinations involvingindividuals of these families, often follows in the F4 generation toimprove the effectiveness of selection for traits with low heritability.At an advanced stage of inbreeding (i.e., F6 and F7), the best lines ormixtures of phenotypically similar lines are tested for potentialrelease as new cultivars. Mass and recurrent selections can be used toimprove populations of either self- or cross-pollinating crops. Agenetically variable population of heterozygous individuals is eitheridentified or created by intercrossing several different parents. Thebest plants are selected based on individual superiority, outstandingprogeny, or excellent combining ability. The selected plants areintercrossed to produce a new population in which further cycles ofselection are continued.

Backcross breeding has been used to transfer genes for a simplyinherited, highly heritable trait into a desirable homozygous cultivaror line that is the recurrent parent. The source of the trait to betransferred is called the donor parent. The resulting plant is expectedto have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., cultivar) and thedesirable trait transferred from the donor parent. After the initialcross, individuals possessing the phenotype of the donor parent areselected and repeatedly crossed (backcrossed) to the recurrent parent.The resulting plant is expected to have the attributes of the recurrentparent (e.g., cultivar) and the desirable trait transferred from thedonor parent.

The single-seed descent procedure in the strict sense refers to plantinga segregating population, harvesting a sample of one seed per plant, andusing the one-seed sample to plant the next generation. When thepopulation has been advanced from the F2 to the desired level ofinbreeding, the plants from which lines are derived will each trace todifferent F2 individuals. The number of plants in a population declineseach generation due to failure of some seeds to germinate or some plantsto produce at least one seed. As a result, not all of the F2 plantsoriginally sampled in the population will be represented by a progenywhen generation advance is completed. Descriptions of other breedingmethods that are commonly used for different traits and crops can befound in one of several reference books (e.g., “Principles of PlantBreeding” John Wiley and Son, pp. 115-161, 1960; Allard, 1960; Simmonds,1979; Sneep et al., 1979; Fehr, 1987). Proper testing should detect anymajor faults and establish the level of superiority or improvement overcurrent cultivars. In addition to showing superior performance, theremust be a demand for a new cultivar that is compatible with industrystandards or which creates a new market. The introduction of a newcultivar may incur additional costs to the seed producer, the grower,processor and consumer; for special advertising and marketing, alteredseed and commercial production practices, and new product utilization.The testing preceding release of a new cultivar should take intoconsideration research and development costs as well as technicalsuperiority of the final cultivar. For seed-propagated cultivars, itmust be feasible to produce seed easily and economically.

Snap pea, Pisum sativum, is an important and valuable vegetable crop.Thus, a continuing goal of plant breeders is to develop stable, highyielding snap pea cultivars that are agronomically sound. The reasonsfor this goal are obviously to maximize the amount of yield produced onthe land. To accomplish this goal, the snap pea breeder must select anddevelop snap pea plants that have the traits that result in superiorcultivars.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a novel snap pea cultivar,designated and referred to herein as “SL3123”. This invention thusrelates to the seeds of snap pea cultivar SL3123, to the plants of snappea cultivar SL3123 and parts thereof, for example pollen, ovule, berryor pod, and to methods for producing a pea plant produced by crossingthe snap pea SL3123 with itself or another pea line, and to methods forproducing a pea plant containing in its genetic material one or moretransgenes and to the transgenic pea plants produced by that method.This invention also relates to methods for producing other snap peacultivars derived from snap pea cultivar SL3123 and to the snap peacultivar derived by the use of those methods. This invention furtherrelates to hybrid snap pea seeds and plants produced by crossing theline SL3123 with another snap pea line.

The invention is also directed to a method of producing a pod or a berrycomprising growing a plant according to the instant invention to producea pod, and harvesting said pod. In one embodiment, the method furthercomprises processing the pod to obtain a berry. In one embodiment, aberry according the instant invention is a fresh product, a cannedproduct or a frozen product.

The invention is also directed to a method of producing a berrycomprising obtaining a pod of a plant according to the instant inventionand processing the pod to obtain a berry. In one embodiment, a berryaccording the instant invention is a fresh product, a canned product ora frozen product.

In another aspect, the present invention provides regenerable cells foruse in tissue culture of snap pea cultivar SL3123. The tissue culturewill preferably be capable of regenerating plants having thephysiological and morphological characteristics of the foregoing snappea plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially the samegenotype as the foregoing snap pea plant. Preferably, the regenerablecells in such tissue cultures will be embryos, protoplasts, seeds,callus, pollen, leaves, anthers, roots, and meristematic cells. Stillfurther, the present invention provides snap pea plants regenerated fromthe tissue cultures of the invention.

Another objective of the invention is to provide methods for producingother snap pea plants derived from snap pea cultivar SL3123. Snap peacultivars derived by the use of those methods are also part of theinvention.

The invention also relates to methods for producing a snap pea plantcontaining in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to thetransgenic snap pea plant produced by that method.

In another aspect, the present invention provides for single geneconverted plants of SL3123. The single transferred gene may preferablybe a dominant or recessive allele. Preferably, the single transferredgene will confer such trait as male sterility, herbicide resistance,insect resistance, resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease,male fertility, enhanced nutritional quality and industrial usage. Thesingle gene may be a naturally occurring snap pea gene or a transgeneintroduced through genetic engineering techniques.

The invention further provides methods for developing a snap pea plantin a pea plant breeding program using plant breeding technique includingrecurrent selection, backcrossing, pedigree breeding, restrictionfragment length polymorphism enhanced selection, genetic marker enhancedselection and transformation. Seeds, pea plant, and parts thereofproduced by such breeding methods are also part of the invention.

DEFINITIONS

In the description and tables, which follow, a number of terms are used.In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of thespecification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms,the following definitions are provided:

-   “Allele”—The allele is any of one or more alternative form of a    gene, all of which alleles relates to one trait or characteristic.    In a diploid cell or organism, the two alleles of a given gene    occupy corresponding loci on a pair of homologous chromosomes.-   “Backcrossing”—Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder    repeatedly crosses hybrid progeny back to one of the parents, for    example, a first generation hybrid F1 with one of the parental    genotype of the F1 hybrid.-   “Essentially all the physiological and morphological    characteristics”—A plant having essentially all the physiological    and morphological characteristics means a plant having the    physiological and morphological characteristics, except for the    characteristics derived from the converted gene.-   “Regeneration”—Regeneration refers to the development of a plant    from tissue culture.-   “Single gene converted”—Single gene converted or conversion plant    refers to plants which are developed by a plant breeding technique    called backcrossing wherein essentially all of the desired    morphological and physiological characteristics of a line are    recovered in addition to the single gene transferred into the line    via the backcrossing technique or via genetic engineering.-   “Maturity Date”—Plants are considered mature when the pods have    reached their maximum desirable berry size and sieve size for the    specific use intended.-   “Determinate Plant”—a determinate plant will grow to a fixed number    of nodes while an indeterminate plant will continue to grow during    the season. They have a high pod to vine weight ratio.-   “Tenderometer”—This is a device for determining the maturity and    tenderness of a pea sample.-   “Heat unit”—The amount of heat needed to mature a crop. It is used    to measure maturity based on the daily accumulated heat produced    during the growing season. The formula [(daily maximum F⁰−daily    minimum F⁰)−40]/2 is used to calculate heat units for peas.-   “Sieve Size” (sv)—Sieve size measures the diameter of the fresh pea    and used in grading peas. A sieve 1 is a berry that goes through a    hole 9/32″ (7.15 mm) in diameter, sieve 2 berry goes through a hole    10/32″ (7.94 mm) in diameter, sieve 3 berry goes through a hole    11/32″ (10.32 mm) in diameter, sieve 4 berry goes through a hole    12/32″ (9.53 mm), sieve 5 berry goes through a hole 13/32″ (10.32    mm), and a sieve 6 and above goes through a hole greater than 13/32″    (10.32 mm). A sieve size average is calculated by multiplying the    percent of peas within each sieve size by the sieve size, summing    thes products and dividing by 100.-   “Pea Yield” (Tons/Acre)—The yield in tons/acre is the actual yield    of the peas at harvest.-   “Plant Height”—Plant height is taken from the top of soil to top    most leaf of the plant and is measured in centimeters.-   “Field holding ability”—A pea plant that has field holding ability    means a plant having berries that slowly change tenderometer over    time. Few peas have much field holding ability.-   “Machine harvestable plant”—A machine harvestable plant means a pea    plant that stands enough to allow pods and berries to be harvested    by machine. The pods can be removed by a machine from the plant    without leaves and other plant parts being harvested.-   “Plant adaptability”—A plant having a good plant adaptability means    a plant that will perform well in different growing conditions and    seasons.-   “Afila”—Afila is a foliar configuration resulting from the gene    ‘af’. It acts to transform the leaflets on a normal foliage pea to    tendrils. Afila plants tend to be more upright in the field than    normal foliage peas as the tendrils grab onto one another to hold    each other up.-   “Nodes to 1^(st) flower”—This is obtained by counting the node above    the point of cotyledon attachment to the node from which the first    peduncle arises.-   “Peduncle”—A peduncle is the stalk that bearing flower (s) and    subsequent pod(s) arising from a node.-   “Node”—A node is the thickened enlargement on a plant. It is where    the stipules, leaf and peduncle arise.-   “Stipules”—A pair of leaf like appendages borne at the base of each    pea leaf or stalk.-   “RHS”—RHS refers to the Royal Horticultural Society of England which    publishes an official botanical color chart quantitatively    identifying colors according to a defined numbering system, The    chart may be purchased from Royal Hort Society Enterprise Ltd RHS    Garden; Wisley, Woking; Surrey GU236QB, UK.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a novel snap pea cultivardesignated ‘SL3123.’ The snap pea cultivar SL3123 originated from ahand-pollinated cross between Syngenta Seeds, Inc. breeding linesSP2280-2-1 and SP2089-1-2.

The F2 and F3 generations were planted and harvest for seed increase,the the pedigree method was utilized to select plants for thecharacteristics of heat tolerance and improved resistance to PowederyMildew. The F5 generation was bulk harvested to supply a source forfuture seed increases. Sugar Flash has been uniform and geneticallystable for at least five generations.

Snap pea cultivar SL2132 is suitable for the fresh and processor marketsand may be compared to the variety, Sugar Heart, of Syngenta Seeds, Inc.Snap pea cultivars Sugar Heart and SL3123 are significantly differentwhen the pod length between the sutures is measured in millimeters.These data were collected from two different locations grown in Nampa,Id., during the 2009 growing season. The length of pod between thesutures (mm) of SL3123, when averaged from the two Nampa locations in2009 was 14.596 millimeters. The length of pod between the sutures (mm)of Sugar Heart, when averaged from the two Nampa locations in 2009 was12.823 millimeters.

SL3123 is approximately 37 cm tall and first blooms appear on node 15.Its plant type is of a determinant habit with no branching. Theinternodes are straight and its stockiness is described as medium. Theleaflets of SL3123 are of a medium green color with a light wax present.Marbled molding is present and the number of leaflet pairs is two.Flowers of SL3123 have a greenish venation and white is the color of thestandard, wing and keel. Pods of SL3123 are slightly curved with pointedends and are of a medium green color. The pod surface is smooth, withthe pods being about 8 cm long and approximately 15 mm wide (between thesutures). The number of seeds per pod is approximately 10. Seed color ofSL3123 is cream and green. Seeds are oval in shape with a wrinkledsurface. The color-pattern of the seeds is monocolor with a tan hilumand cream colored cotyledons. Dry seed weight of SL3123 is approximately24 gm per 100 seeds.

This invention also is directed to methods for producing a pea plant bycrossing a first parent pea plant with a second parent pea plant whereineither the first or second parent pea plant is a pea plant of the SL3123line. Still further, this invention also is directed to methods forproducing a cultivar SL3123-derived pea plant by crossing cultivarSL3123 with a second pea plant and growing the progeny seed, andrepeating the crossing and growing steps with the cultivarSL3123-derived plant from 0 to 7 times. Thus, any such methods using thecultivar SL3123 are part of this invention: selfing, backcrosses, hybridproduction, crosses to populations, and the like. All plants producedusing cultivar SL3123 as a parent are within the scope of thisinvention, including plants derived from cultivar SL3123.Advantageously, the cultivar is used in crosses with other, different,cultivars to produce first generation (F1) pea seeds and plants withsuperior characteristics.

As used herein, the term plant includes plant cells, plant protoplasts,plant cell tissue cultures from which pea plants can be regenerated,plant calli, plant clumps and plant cells that are intact in plants orparts of plants, such as embryos, pollen, ovules, flowers, seeds, pods,stems, roots, anthers, and the like.

With the advent of molecular biological techniques that have allowed theisolation and characterization of genes that encode specific proteinproducts, scientists in the field of plant biology developed a stronginterest in engineering the genome of plants to contain and expressforeign genes, or additional, or modified versions of native, orendogenous, genes (perhaps driven by different promoters) in order toalter the traits of a plant in a specific manner. Such foreignadditional and/or modified genes are referred to herein collectively as“transgenes”. Over the last fifteen to twenty years several methods forproducing transgenic plants have been developed, and the presentinvention, in particular embodiments, also relates to transformedversions of the claimed line.

Plant transformation involves the construction of an expression vectorwhich will function in plant cells. Such a vector comprises DNAcomprising a gene under control of or operatively linked to a regulatoryelement (for example, a promoter). The expression vector may contain oneor more such operably linked gene/regulatory element combinations. Thevector(s) may be in the form of a plasmid, and can be used alone or incombination with other plasmids, to provide transformed pea plants,using transformation methods as described below to incorporatetransgenes into the genetic material of the pea plant(s).

Expression Vectors for Pea Transformation

Marker Genes—Expression vectors include at least one genetic marker,operably linked to a regulatory element (a promoter, for example) thatallows transformed cells containing the marker to be either recovered bynegative selection, i.e., inhibiting growth of cells that do not containthe selectable marker gene, or by positive selection, i.e., screeningfor the product encoded by the genetic marker. Many commonly usedselectable marker genes for plant transformation are well known in thetransformation arts, and include, for example, genes that code forenzymes that metabolically detoxify a selective chemical agent which maybe an antibiotic or a herbicide, or genes that encode an altered targetwhich is insensitive to the inhibitor. A few positive selection methodsare also known in the art.

One commonly used selectable marker gene for plant transformation is theneomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene, isolated from transposonTn5, which when placed under the control of plant regulatory signalsconfers resistance to kanamycin. Fraley et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci.U.S.A., 80:4803 (1983), Aragao F. J. L., et al., Molecular Breeding 4:6491-499 (1998). Another commonly used selectable marker gene is thehygromycin phosphotransferase gene which confers resistance to theantibiotic hygromycin. Vanden Elzen et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 5:299(1985). Additional selectable marker genes of bacterial origin thatconfer resistance to antibiotics include gentamycin acetyl transferase,streptomycin phosphotransferase, a minoglycoside-3′-adenyl transferase,the bleomycin resistance determinant. Hayford et al., Plant Physiol.86:1216 (1988), Jones et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 210:86 (1987), Svab etal., Plant Mol. Biol. 14:197 (1990), Hille et al., Plant Mol. Biol.7:171 (1986).

Other selectable marker genes confer resistance to herbicides such asglyphosate, glufosinate or broxynil. Comai et al., Nature 317:741-744(1985), Gordon-Kamm et al., Plant Cell 2:603-618 (1990) and Stalker etal., Science 242:419-423 (1988), Saker M. M., et al, Biologia Plantarum40:4 507-514 (1998), Russel, D. R., et al, Plant Cell Report 12:3165-169 (1993).

Other selectable marker genes for plant transformation are not ofbacterial origin. These genes include, for example, mouse dihydrofolatereductase, plant 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase and plantacetolactate synthase. Eichholtz et al., Somatic Cell Mol. Genet. 13:67(1987), Shah et al., Science 233:478 (1986), Charest et al., Plant CellRep. 8:643 (1990).

Another class of marker genes for plant transformation require screeningof presumptively transformed plant cells rather than direct geneticselection of transformed cells for resistance to a toxic substance suchas an antibiotic. These genes are particularly useful to quantify orvisualize the spatial pattern of expression of a gene in specifictissues and are frequently referred to as reporter genes because theycan be fused to a gene or gene regulatory sequence for the investigationof gene expression. Commonly used genes for screening presumptivelytransformed cells include beta-glucuronidase (GUS), alpha-galactosidase,luciferase and chloramphenicol, acetyltransferase. Jefferson, R. A.,Plant Mol. Biol. Rep. 5:387 (1987), Teeri et al., EMBO J. 8:343 (1989),Koncz et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci U.S.A. 84:131 (1987), DeBlock etal., EMBO J. 3:1681 (1984), Grossi M. F., et al., Plant Science 103:2189-198 (1994), Lewis M. E., Journal of the American Society forHorticultural Science 119:2 361-366 (1994), Zhang et al., Journal of theAmerican Society for Horticultural Science 122:3 300-305 (1997).

Recently, in vivo methods for visualizing GUS activity that do notrequire destruction of plant tissue have been made available. MolecularProbes publication 2908, Imagene Green, p. 1-4 (1993) and Naleway etal., J. Cell Biol. 115:151a (1991). However, these in vivo methods forvisualizing GUS activity have not proven useful for recovery oftransformed cells because of low sensitivity, high fluorescentbackgrounds and limitations associated with the use of luciferase genesas selectable markers.

More recently, a gene encoding Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) has beenutilized as a marker for gene expression in prokaryotic and eukaryoticcells. Chalfie et al., Science 263:802 (1994). GFP and mutants of GFPmay be used as screenable markers.

Promoters

Genes included in expression vectors must be driven by nucleotidesequence comprising a regulatory element, for example, a promoter.Several types of promoters are now well known in the transformationarts, as are other regulatory elements that can be used alone or incombination with promoters.

As used herein, “promoter” includes reference to a region of DNAupstream from the start of transcription and involved in recognition andbinding of RNA polymerase and other proteins to initiate transcription.A “plant promoter” is a promoter capable of initiating transcription inplant cells. Examples of promoters under developmental control includepromoters that preferentially initiate transcription in certain tissues,such as leaves, roots, seeds, fibers, xylem vessels, tracheids, orsclerenchyma. Such promoters are referred to as “tissue-preferred”.Promoters which initiate transcription only in certain tissue arereferred to as “tissue-specific”. A “cell type” specific promoterprimarily drives expression in certain cell types in one or more organs,for example, vascular cells in roots or leaves. An “inducible” promoteris a promoter which is under environmental control. Examples ofenvironmental conditions that may effect transcription by induciblepromoters include anaerobic conditions or the presence of light.Tissue-specific, tissue-preferred, cell type specific, and induciblepromoters constitute the class of “non-constitutive” promoters. A“constitutive” promoter is a promoter which is active under mostenvironmental conditions.

A. Inducible Promoters

An inducible promoter is operably linked to a gene for expression inpea. Optionally, the inducible promoter is operably linked to anucleotide sequence encoding a signal sequence which is operably linkedto a gene for expression in pea. With an inducible promoter the rate oftranscription increases in response to an inducing agent.

Any inducible promoter can be used in the instant invention. See Ward etal., Plant Mol. Biol. 22:361-366 (1993). Exemplary inducible promotersinclude, but are not limited to, that from the ACEI system whichresponds to copper (Meft et al., PNAS 90:4567-4571 (1993)); In2 genefrom maize which responds to benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners(Hershey et al., Mol. Gen Genetics 227:229-237 (1991) and Gatz et al.,Mol. Gen. Genetics 243:32-38 (1994)) or Tet repressor from Tn10 (Gatz etal., Mol. Gen. Genetics 227:229-237 (1991). A particularly preferredinducible promoter is a promoter that responds to an inducing agent towhich plants do not normally respond. An exemplary inducible promoter isthe inducible promoter from a steroid hormone gene, the transcriptionalactivity of which is induced by a glucocorticosteroid hormone. Schena etal., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 88:0421 (1991).

B. Constitutive Promoters

A constitutive promoter is operably linked to a gene for expression inpea or the constitutive promoter is operably linked to a nucleotidesequence encoding a signal sequence which is operably linked to a genefor expression in pea. Many different constitutive promoters can beutilized in the instant invention. Exemplary constitutive promotersinclude, but are not limited to, the promoters from plant viruses suchas the 35S promoter from CaMV (Odell et al., Nature 313:810-812 (1985),Aragao et al., Genetics and Molecular Biology 22:3, 445-449 (1999) andthe promoters from such genes as rice actin (McElroy et al., Plant Cell2:163-171 (1990)); ubiquitin (Christensen et al., Plant Mol. Biol.12:619-632 (1989) and Christensen et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 18:675-689(1992)); pEMU (Last et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 81:581-588 (1991)); MAS(Velten et al., EMBO J. 3:2723-2730 (1984)) and maize H3 histone(Lepetit et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 231:276-285 (1992) and Atanassova etal., Plant Journal 2 (3): 291-300 (1992)).

The ALS promoter, Xba1/Ncol fragment 5′ to the Brassica napus ALS3structural gene (or a nucleotide sequence similarity to said Xba1/Ncolfragment), represents a particularly useful constitutive promoter. SeePCT application WO96/30530.

C. Tissue-Specific or Tissue-Preferred Promoters

A tissue-specific promoter is operably linked to a gene for expressionin pea. Optionally, the tissue-specific promoter is operably linked to anucleotide sequence encoding a signal sequence which is operably linkedto a gene for expression in pea. Plants transformed with a gene ofinterest operably linked to a tissue-specific promoter produce theprotein product of the transgene exclusively, or preferentially, in aspecific tissue.

Any tissue-specific or tissue-preferred promoter can be utilized in theinstant invention. Exemplary tissue-specific or tissue-preferredpromoters include, but are not limited to, a root-preferred promoter,such as that from the phaseolin gene (Murai et al., Science 23:476-482(1983) and Sengupta-Gopalan et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.82:3320-3324 (1985)); a leaf-specific and light-induced promoter such asthat from cab or rubisco (Simpson et al., EMBO J. 4(11):2723-2729 (1985)and Timko et al., Nature 318:579-582 (1985)); an anther-specificpromoter such as that from LAT52 (Twell et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics217:240-245 (1989)); a pollen-specific promoter such as that from Zm13(Guerrero et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 244:161-168 (1993)) or amicrospore-preferred promoter such as that from apg (Twell et al., Sex.Plant Reprod. 6:217-224 (1993).

Signal Sequences for Targeting Proteins to Subcellular Compartments

Transport of protein produced by transgenes to a subcellular compartmentsuch as the chloroplast, vacuole, peroxisome, glyoxysome, cell wall ormitochondroin or for secretion into the apoplast, is accomplished bymeans of operably linking the nucleotide sequence encoding a signalsequence to the 5′ and/or 3′ region of a gene encoding the protein ofinterest. Targeting sequences at the 5′ and/or 3′ end of the structuralgene may determine, during protein synthesis and processing, where theencoded protein is ultimately compartmentalized.

The presence of a signal sequence directs a polypeptide to either anintracellular organelle or subcellular compartment or for secretion tothe apoplast. Many signal sequences are known in the art. See, forexample Becker et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 20:49 (1992), Close, P. S.,Master's Thesis, Iowa State University (1993), Knox, C., et al.,“Structure and Organization of Two Divergent Alpha-Amylase Genes fromBarley”, Plant Mol. Biol. 9:3-17 (1987), Lerner et al., Plant Physiol.91:124-129 (1989), Fontes et al., Plant Cell 3:483-496 (1991), Matsuokaet al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 88:834 (1991), Gould et al., J. Cell.Biol. 108:1657 (1989), Creissen et al., Plant J. 2:129 (1991), Kalderon,et al., A short amino acid sequence able to specify nuclear location,Cell 39:499-509 (1984), Steifel, et al., Expression of a maize cell wallhydroxyproline-rich glycoprotein gene in early leaf and root vasculardifferentiation, Plant Cell 2:785-793 (1990).

Foreign Protein Genes and Agronomic Genes

With transgenic plants according to the present invention, a foreignprotein can be produced in commercial quantities. Thus, techniques forthe selection and propagation of transformed plants, which are wellunderstood in the art, yield a plurality of transgenic plants which areharvested in a conventional manner, and a foreign protein then can beextracted from a tissue of interest or from total biomass. Proteinextraction from plant biomass can be accomplished by known methods whichare discussed, for example, by Heney and Orr, Anal. Biochem. 114:92-6(1981). According to a preferred embodiment, the transgenic plantprovided for commercial production of foreign protein is pea. In anotherpreferred embodiment, the biomass of interest is seed. For therelatively small number of transgenic plants that show higher levels ofexpression, a genetic map can be generated, primarily via conventionalRFLP, PCR and SSR analysis, which identifies the approximate chromosomallocation of the integrated DNA molecule. For exemplary methodologies inthis regard, see Glick and Thompson, Methods in Plant Molecular Biologyand Biotechnology CRC Press, Boca Raton 269:284 (1993). Map informationconcerning chromosomal location is useful for proprietary protection ofa subject transgenic plant. If unauthorized propagation is undertakenand crosses made with other germplasm, the map of the integration regioncan be compared to similar maps for suspect plants, to determine if thelatter have a common parentage with the subject plant. Map comparisonswould involve hybridizations, RFLP, PCR, SSR and sequencing, all ofwhich are conventional techniques.

Likewise, by means of the present invention, agronomic genes can beexpressed in transformed plants. More particularly, plants can begenetically engineered to express various phenotypes of agronomicinterest. Exemplary genes implicated in this regard include, but are notlimited to, those categorized below:

1. Genes that Confer Resistance to Pests or Disease and that EncodeEnzymes, Peptides, etc.

-   A. Plant disease resistance genes. Plant defenses are often    activated by specific interaction between the product of a disease    resistance gene (R) in the plant and the product of a corresponding    avirulence (Avr) gene in the pathogen. A plant line can be    transformed with cloned resistance gene to engineer plants that are    resistant to specific pathogen strains. See, for example Jones et    al., Science 266:789 (1994) (cloning of the tomato Cf-9 gene for    resistance to Cladosporium fulvum); Martin et al., Science    262:1432 (1993) (tomato Pto gene for resistance to Pseudomonas    syringae pv. Tomato encodes a protein kinase); Mindrinos et al.,    Cell 78:1089 (1994) (Arabidopsis RSP2 gene for resistance to    Pseudomonas syingae).-   B. A Bacillus thuringiensis protein, a derivative thereof or a    synthetic polypeptide modeled thereon. See, for example, Geiser et    al., Gene 48:109 (1986), who disclose the cloning and nucleotide    sequence of a Bt delta-endotoxin gene. Moreover, DNA molecules    encoding delta-endotoxin genes can be purchased from American Type    Culture Collection, Manassas, Va., for example, under ATCC Accession    Nos. 40098, 67136, 31995 and 31998.-   C. A lectin. See, for example, the disclose by Van Damme et al.,    Plant Molec. Biol. 24:25 (1994), who disclose the nucleotide    sequences of several Clivia miniata mannose-binding lectin genes.-   D. A vitamin-binding protein such as avidin. See PCT application    US93/06487, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by    reference. The application teaches the use of avidin and avidin    homologues as larvicides against insect pests.-   E. An enzyme inhibitor, for example, a protease or proteinase    inhibitor or an amylase inhibitor. See, for example, Abe et al., J.    Biol. Chem. 262:16793 (1987) (nucleotide sequence of rice cysteine    proteinase inhibitor), Huub et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 21:985 (1993)    (nucleotide sequence of cDNA encoding tobacco proteinase inhibitor    I), Sumitani et al., Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. 57:1243 (1993)    (nucleotide sequence of Streptomyces nitrosporeus alpha-amylase    inhibitor).-   F. An insect-specific hormone or pheromone such as an ecdysteroid    and juvenile hormone, a variant thereof, a mimetic based thereon, or    an antagonist or agonist thereof. See, for example, the disclosure    by Hammock et al., Nature 344:458 (1990), of baculovirus expression    of cloned juvenile hormone esterase, an inactivator of juvenile    hormone.-   G. An insect-specific peptide or neuropeptide which, upon    expression, disrupts the physiology of the affected pest. For    example, see the disclosures of Regan, J. Biol. Chem. 269:9 (1994)    (expression cloning yields DNA coding for insect diuretic hormone    receptor), and Pratt et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm.    163:1243 (1989) (an allostatin is identified in Diploptera puntata).    See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,317 to Tomalski et al., who disclose    genes encoding insect-specific, paralytic neurotoxins.-   H. An insect-specific venom produced in nature by a snake, a wasp,    etc. For example, see Pang et al., Gene 116:165 (1992), for    disclosure of heterologous expression in plants of a gene coding for    a scorpion insectotoxic peptide.-   I. An enzyme responsible for a hyper accumulation of a monterpene, a    sesquiterpene, a steroid, hydroxamic acid, a phenylpropanoid    derivative or another non-protein molecule with insecticidal    activity.-   J. An enzyme involved in the modification, including the    post-translational modification, of a biologically active molecule;    for example, a glycolytic enzyme, a proteolytic enzyme, a lipolytic    enzyme, a nuclease, a cyclase, a transaminase, an esterase, a    hydrolase, a phosphatase, a kinase, a phosphorylase, a polymerase,    an elastase, a chitinase and a glucanase, whether natural or    synthetic. See PCT application WO 93/02197 in the name of Scott et    al., which discloses the nucleotide sequence of a callase gene. DNA    molecules which contain chitinase-encoding sequences can be    obtained, for example, from the ATCC under Accession Nos. 39637    and 67152. See also Kramer et al., Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol.    23:691 (1993), who teach the nucleotide sequence of a cDNA encoding    tobacco hookworm chitinase, and Kawalleck et al., Plant Molec. Biol.    21:673 (1993), who provide the nucleotide sequence of the parsley    ubi4-2 polyubiquitin gene.-   K. A molecule that stimulates signal transduction. For example, see    the disclosure by Botella et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 24:757 (1994),    of nucleotide sequences for mung bean calmodulin cDNA clones, and    Griess et al., Plant Physiol. 104:1467 (1994), who provide the    nucleotide sequence of a maize calmodulin cDNA clone.-   L. A hydrophobic moment peptide. See PCT application WO95/16776    (disclosure of peptide derivatives of Tachyplesin which inhibit    fungal plant pathogens) and PCT application WO95/18855 (teaches    synthetic antimicrobial peptides that confer disease resistance),    the respective contents of which are hereby incorporated by    reference.-   M. A membrane permease, a channel former or a channel blocker. For    example, see the disclosure of Jaynes et al., Plant Sci 89:43    (1993), of heterologous expression of a cecropin-beta, lytic peptide    analog to render transgenic tobacco plants resistant to Pseudomonas    solanacearum.-   N. A viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom.    For example, the accumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed    plant cells imparts resistance to viral infection and/or disease    development effected by the virus from which the coat protein gene    is derived, as well as by related viruses. See Beachy et al., Ann.    rev. Phytopathol. 28:451 (1990). Coat protein-mediated resistance    has been conferred upon transformed plants against alfalfa mosaic    virus, cucumber mosaic virus, tobacco streak virus, potato virus X,    potato virus Y, tobacco etch virus, tobacco rattle virus and tobacco    mosaic virus. Id.-   O. An insect-specific antibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom.    Thus, an antibody targeted to a critical metabolic function in the    insect gut would inactivate an affected enzyme, killing the insect.    Cf. Taylor et al., Abstract #497, Seventh Int'l Symposium on    Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (Edinburgh, Scotland) (1994)    (enzymatic inactivation in transgenic tobacco via production of    single-chain antibody fragments).-   P. A virus-specific antibody. See, for example, Tavladoraki et al.,    Nature 366:469 (1993), who show that transgenic plants expressing    recombinant antibody genes are protected from virus attack.-   Q. A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a    pathogen or a parasite. Thus, fungal endo    alpha-1,4-D-polygalacturonases facilitate fungal colonization and    plant nutrient release by solubilizing plant cell wall    homo-alpha-1,4-D-galacturonase. See Lamb et al., Bio/Technology    10:1436 (1992). The cloning and characterization of a gene which    encodes a bean endopolygalacturonase-inhibiting protein is described    by Toubart et al., Plant J. 2:367 (1992).-   R. A development-arrestive protein produced in nature by a plant.    For example, Logemann et al., Bioi/Technology 10:305 (1992), have    shown that transgenic plants expressing the barley    ribosome-inactivating gene have an increased resistance to fungal    disease.    2. Genes that Confer Resistance to a Herbicide, for Example-   A. A herbicide that inhibits the growing point or meristem, such as    an imidazalinone or a sulfonylurea. Exemplary genes in this category    code for mutant ALS and AHAS enzyme as described, for example, by    Lee et al., EMBO J. 7:1241 (1988), and Miki et al., Theor. Appl.    Genet. 80:449 (1990), respectively.-   B. Glyphosate (resistance impaired by mutant    5-enolpyruvl-3-phosphikimate synthase (EPSP) and aroA genes,    respectively) and other phosphono compounds such as glufosinate    (phosphinothricin acetyl transferase, PAT and Streptomyces    hygroscopicus phosphinothricin-acetyl transferase, bar, genes), and    pyridinoxy or phenoxy propionic acids and cycloshexones (ACCase    inhibitor-encoding genes). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,835    to Shah, et al., which discloses the nucleotide sequence of a form    of EPSP which can confer glyphosate resistance. A DNA molecule    encoding a mutant aroA gene can be obtained under ATCC accession    number 39256, and the nucleotide sequence of the mutant gene is    disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,061 to Comai. European patent    application No 0 333 033 to Kumada et al., and U.S. Pat. No.    4,975,374 to Goodman et al., disclose nucleotide sequences of    glutamine synthetase genes which confer resistance to herbicides    such as L-phosphinothricin. See also Russel, D. R., et al, Plant    Cell Report 12:3 165-169 (1993). The nucleotide sequence of a    phosphinothricin-acetyl-transferase gene is provided in European    application No. 0 242 246 to Leemans et al., DeGreef et al.,    Bio/Technology 7:61 (1989), describe the production of transgenic    plants that express chimeric bar genes coding for phosphinothricin    acetyl transferase activity. Exemplary of genes conferring    resistance to phenoxy propionic acids and cycloshexones, such as    sethoxydim and haloxyfop are the Acc1-S1, Acc1-S2 and Acc1-S3 genes    described by Marshall et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 83:435 (1992).-   C. A herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine    (psbA and gs+ genes) and a benzonitrile (nitrilase gene). Przibilla    et al., Plant Cell 3:169 (1991), describe the transformation of    Chlamydomonas with plasmids encoding mutant psbA genes. Nucleotide    sequences for nitrilase genes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.    4,810,648 to Stalker, and DNA molecules containing these genes are    available under ATCC Accession Nos. 53435, 67441, and 67442. Cloning    and expression of DNA coding for a glutathione S-transferase is    described by Hayes et al., Biochem. J. 285:173 (1992).    3. Genes that Confer or Contribute to a Value-Added Trait, Such as-   A. Delayed and attenuated symptoms to Bean Golden Mosaic Geminivirus    (BGMV), for example by transforming a plant with antisense genes    from the Brazilian BGMV. See Arago et al., Molecular Breeding. 1998,    4: 6, 491-499.-   B. Increased the pea content in Methionine by introducing a    transgene coding for a Methionine rich storage albumin (2S-albumin)    from the Brazil nut as decribed in Arago et al., Genetics and    Molecular Biology. 1999, 22: 3, 445-449.    Numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed,    including biological and physical, plant transformation protocols.    See, for example, Miki et al., “Procedures for Introducing Foreign    DNA into Plants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and    Biotechnology, Glick B. R. and Thompson, J. E. Eds. (CRC Press,    Inc., Boca Raton, 1993) pages 67-88. In addition, expression vectors    and in vitro culture methods for plant cell or tissue transformation    and regeneration of plants are available. See, for example, Gruber    et al., “Vectors for Plant Transformation” in Methods in Plant    Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Glick B. R. and Thompson, J. E.    Eds. (CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, 1993) pages 89-119.    A. Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation

One method for introducing an expression vector into plants is based onthe natural transformation system of Agrobacterium. See, for example,Horsch et al., Science 227:1229 (1985). McClean, P., et al. Plant CellTissue Org. Cult. 24 (2, February), 131-138 (1991), Lewis et al.,Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science, 119:2,361-366 (1994), Zhang, Z., et al. J. Amer. Soc. Hort. Sci. 122(3):300-305 (1997). A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes are plant pathogenicsoil bacteria which genetically transform plant cells. The Ti and Riplasmids of A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes, respectively, carry genesresponsible for genetic transformation of the plant. See, for example,Kado, C. I., Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 10:1 (1991). Descriptions ofAgrobacterium vector systems and methods for Agrobacterium-mediated genetransfer are provided by Gruber et al., supra, Miki et al., supra, andMoloney et al., Plant Cell Reports 8:238 (1989). See also, U.S. Pat. No.5,591,616 issued Jan. 7, 1997.

B. Direct Gene Transfer

Despite the fact the host range for Agrobacterium-mediatedtransformation is broad, some major cereal or vegetable crop species andgymnosperms have generally been recalcitrant to this mode of genetransfer, even though some success has recently been achieved in riceand corn. Hiei et al., The Plant Journal 6:271-282 (1994) and U.S. Pat.No. 5,591,616 issued Jan. 7, 1997. Several methods of planttransformation, collectively referred to as direct gene transfer, havebeen developed as an alternative to Agrobacterium-mediatedtransformation.

A generally applicable method of plant transformation ismicroprojectile-mediated transformation wherein DNA is carried on thesurface of microprojectiles measuring 1 to 4 im. The expression vectoris introduced into plant tissues with a biolistic device thataccelerates the microprojectiles to speeds of 300 to 600 m/s which issufficient to penetrate plant cell walls and membranes. Russell, D. R.,et al. Pl. Cell. Rep. 12(3, January), 165-169 (1993), Aragao, F. J. L.,et al. Plant Mol. Biol. 20(2, October), 357-359 (1992), Aragao Theor.Appl. Genet. 93:142-150 (1996), Kim, J.; Minamikawa, T. Plant Science117: 131-138 (1996), Sanford et al., Part. Sci. Technol. 5:27 (1987),Sanford, J. C., Trends Biotech. 6:299 (1988), Klein et al.,Bio/Technology 6:559-563 (1988), Sanford, J. C., Physiol Plant 7:206(1990), Klein et al., Biotechnology 10:268 (1992)

Another method for physical delivery of DNA to plants is sonication oftarget cells. Zhang et al., Bio/Technology 9:996 (1991). Alternatively,liposome or spheroplast fusion have been used to introduce expressionvectors into plants. Deshayes et al., EMBO J., 4:2731 (1985), Christouet al., Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84:3962 (1987). Direct uptake ofDNA into protoplasts using CaCl₂ precipitation, polyvinyl alcohol orpoly-L-omithine have also been reported. Hain et al., Mol. Gen. Genet.199:161 (1985) and Draperetal., Plant Cell Physiol. 23:451 (1982).Electroporation of protoplasts and whole cells and tissues have alsobeen described. Saker, M.; Kuhne, T. Biologia Plantarum 40(4): 507-514(1997/98), Donn et al., In Abstracts of VIIth International Congress onPlant Cell and Tissue Culture IAPTC, A2-38, p 53 (1990); D'Halluin etal., Plant Cell 4:1495-1505 (1992) and Spencer et al., Plant Mol. Biol.24:51-61 (1994).

Following transformation of pea target tissues, expression of theabove-described selectable marker genes allows for preferentialselection of transformed cells, tissues and/or plants, usingregeneration and selection methods now well known in the art.

The foregoing methods for transformation would typically be used forproducing a transgenic line. The transgenic line could then be crossed,with another (non-transformed or transformed) line, in order to producea new transgenic pea line. Alternatively, a genetic trait which has beenengineered into a particular pea cultivar using the foregoingtransformation techniques could be moved into another line usingtraditional backcrossing techniques that are well known in the plantbreeding arts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be used tomove an engineered trait from a public, non-elite inbred line into anelite inbred line, or from an inbred line containing a foreign gene inits genome into an inbred line or lines which do not contain that gene.As used herein, “crossing” can refer to a simple X by Y cross, or theprocess of backcrossing, depending on the context.

When the term pea plant, cultivar or pea line is used in the context ofthe present invention, this also includes any single gene conversions ofthat cultivar or line. The term single gene converted plant as usedherein refers to those pea plants which are developed by a plantbreeding technique called backcrossing wherein essentially all of thedesired morphological and physiological characteristics of a cultivarare recovered in addition to the single gene transferred into the linevia the backcrossing technique. Backcrossing methods can be used withthe present invention to improve or introduce a characteristic into theline. The term backcrossing as used herein refers to the repeatedcrossing of a hybrid progeny back to one of the parental pea plants forthat line. The parental pea plant which contributes the gene for thedesired characteristic is termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. Thisterminology refers to the fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used onetime in the backcross protocol and therefore does not recur. Theparental pea plant to which the gene or genes from the nonrecurrentparent are transferred is known as the recurrent parent as it is usedfor several rounds in the backcrossing protocol (Poehiman & Sleper,1994; Fehr, 1987). In a typical backcross protocol, the originalcultivar of interest (recurrent parent) is crossed to a second line(nonrecurrent parent) that carries the single gene of interest to betransferred. The resulting progeny from this cross are then crossedagain to the recurrent parent and the process is repeated until a peaplant is obtained wherein essentially all of the desired morphologicaland physiological characteristics of the recurrent parent are recoveredin the converted plant, in addition to the single transferred gene fromthe nonrecurrent parent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for asuccessful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol isto alter or substitute a single trait or characteristic in the originalline. To accomplish this, a single gene of the recurrent cultivar ismodified or substituted with the desired gene from the nonrecurrentparent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desiredgenetic, and therefore the desired physiological and morphological,constitution of the original line. The choice of the particularnonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross, one ofthe major purposes is to add some commercially desirable, agronomicallyimportant trait to the plant. The exact backcrossing protocol willdepend on the characteristic or trait being altered to determine anappropriate testing protocol. Although backcrossing methods aresimplified when the characteristic being transferred is a dominantallele, a recessive allele may also be transferred. In this instance itmay be necessary to introduce a test of the progeny to determine if thedesired characteristic has been successfully transferred.

Many single gene traits have been identified that are not regularlyselected for in the development of a new line but that can be improvedby backcrossing techniques. Single gene traits may or may not betransgenic, examples of these traits include but are not limited to,herbicide resistance (such as bar or pat genes), resistance forbacterial, fungal, or viral disease such as gene I used for BCMVresistance), insect resistance, enhanced nutritional quality (such as 2s albumine gene), industrial usage, agronomic qualities such as the“persistent green gene”, yield stability and yield enhancement. Thesegenes are generally inherited through the nucleus. Some other singlegene traits are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,777,196; 5,948,957 and5,969,212, the disclosures of which are specifically hereby incorporatedby reference.

In Tables 1 and 2, the traits and characteristics of pea cultivar SL3123are given along with data on commercial cultivar ‘Sugar Heart’ used as acheck.

Explanation of the Statistical Variables Used in the Following Tables1-2:

-   SL3123_pw1, pod width between the sutures (mm), SL3123, location #1,    Nampa, Id., 2009-   Heart_pw1, pod width between the sutures (mm), Sugar Heart, location    #1, Nampa, Id., 2009-   SL3123_pw2, pod width between the sutures (mm), SL3123, location #2,    Nampa, Id., 2008-   Heart_pw2, pod width between the sutures (mm), Sugar Heart, location    #2, Nampa, Id., 2008    SL3123 vs. Sugar Heart—Significance of Differences Between Pod    Width (mm) Between the Sutures-   AOV: analysis of variants-   DF: degree of freedom-   SS: sum of squares-   MS: mean of squares-   F: F-distribution-   P: probability distribution-   N: number

TABLE 1 PLOT #1 (2009) - Nampa, Idaho Descriptive Statistics Heart_pw1SL3123_pw1 N 20 20 Mean 12.470 14.727 SD 0.3585 0.6805 Variance 0.12850.4630 Minimum 12.000 13.200 Maximum 13.400 16.100 One-Way AOV for:Heart pw1 SL3123 pw1 Source DF SS MS F P Between  1 50.9631 50.9631172.30 0.0000 Within 38 11.2394  0.2958 Total 39 62.2024 Grand Mean13.599 CV 4.00 Homogeneity of Variances F P Levene's Test 3.89 0.0558O'Brien's Test 3.69 0.0624 Brown and Forsythe Test 5.96 0.0194 Welch'sTest for Mean Differences Source DF F P Between  1.0 172.30 0.0000Within 28.8 Component of variance for between groups 2.53336 Effectivecell size 20.0 Variable Mean Heart_pw1 12.470 SL3123_pw1 14.727Observations per Mean 20 Standard Error of a Mean 0.1216 Std Error (Diffof 2 Means) 0.1720 LSD All-Pairwise Comparisons Test Variable MeanHomogeneous Groups SL3123_pw 14.727 A Heart_pw1 12.470 B Alpha 0.05Standard Error for Comparison 0.1720 Critical T Value 2.024 CriticalValue for Comparison 0.3482 All 2 means are significantly different fromone another.

TABLE 2 PLOT #2 (2009) Descriptive Statistics SL3123_pw2 Heart_pw2 N 2020 Mean 14.465 13.175 SD 0.8677 0.3892 Variance 0.7529 0.1514 Minimum13.100 12.400 Maximum 16.800 13.900 One-Way AOV for: SL3123_pw2Heart_pw2 Source DF SS MS F P Between  1 16.6410 16.6410 36.80 0.0000Within 38 17.1830  0.4522 Total 39 33.8240 Grand Mean 13.820 CV 4.87Homogeneity of Variances F P Levene's Test 4.25 0.0461 O'Brien's Test4.02 0.0520 Brown and Forsythe Test 6.38 0.0158 Welch's Test for MeanDifferences Source DF F P Between  1.0 36.80 0.0000 Within 26.3Component of variance for between groups 0.80944 Effective cell size20.0 Variable Mean SL3123_pw2 14.465 Heart_pw2 13.175 Observations perMean 20 Standard Error of a Mean 0.1504 Std Error (Diff of 2 Means)0.2126 LSD All-Pairwise Comparisons Test Variable Mean HomogeneousGroups SL3123_pw2 14.465 A Heart_pw2 13.175 B Alpha 0.05  Standard Errorfor Comparison 0.2126 Critical T Value 2.024 Critical Value forComparison 0.4305 All 2 means are significantly different from oneanother.

TABLE 3 A comparison of chosen characteristics between SL3123 and thecommercial cultivar ‘Sugar Heart’. This data was taken from 2009 plotsin Nampa, Idaho. SL3123 Sugar Heart Market Maturity Node to first bloom15 16 Plant Height Height (cm) 37 cm 37 cm Vine Habit DeterminateDeterminate Branching None 1-2 Internodes Straight Straight StockinessMedium Medium Final Node 18 18 Leaflets Color Medium Green Medium GreenWax Light Light Number of leaflet pairs Two 3 or more Flowers VenationGreensih Greensih Stndard White White Wing White White Keel White WhitePods Shape Slightly curved Straight Color Medium Green Medium GreenSurface Smooth smooth Length cm 8 cm 7 cm Width btw sutures 15 cm 12.82mm No. seeds per pod 6 6.5 Seeds Grams per 100 seeds 24 g 20 g

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

Applicants have made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of with theAmerican Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Manassas, Virginia, 20110-2209U.S.A., ATCC Deposit No:PTA-11756. This deposit of the snap pea cultivardesignated SL3123 will be maintained in the ATCC depository, which is apublic depository, for a period of 30 years, or 5 years after the mostrecent request, or for the effective life of the patent, whichever islonger, and will be replaced if it becomes nonviable during that period.Additionally, Applicants have satisfied all the requirements of 37C.F.R. §§1.801-1.809, including providing an indication of the viabilityof the sample. During the pendency of this application, access to thedeposited material will be afforded to the Commissioner on request. Allrestrictions on the availability of the deposited material from the ATCCto the public will be irrevocably removed upon granting of the patent;however, Applicants have no authority to waive any restrictions imposedby law on the transfer of biological material or its transportation incommerce. Applicants do not waive any infringement of its rights grantedunder this patent or under the Plant Cultivar Protection Act (7 USC 2321et seq.).

The foregoing invention has been described in detail by way ofillustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding.However, it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications suchas single gene modifications and mutations, somaclonal variants, variantindividuals selected from large populations of the plants of the instantinbred and the like may be practiced within the scope of the invention,as limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein are incorporated by reference in the instantapplication in their entireties.

What is claimed is:
 1. Seed of pea cultivar designated SL3123,representative seed of said cultivar having been deposited under ATCCAccession No. PTA-11756.
 2. A pea plant, or a part thereof, produced bygrowing the seed of claim
 1. 3. Pollen of the plant of claim
 2. 4. Anovule of the plant of claim
 2. 5. A pod or a berry of the plant of claim2.
 6. A tissue culture of regenerable cells of a plant of pea cultivardesignated SL3123, wherein the tissue regenerates plants having all themorphological and physiological characteristics of a plant of peacultivar designated SL3123, representative seeds having been depositedunder ATCC Accession No. PTA-11756.
 7. The tissue culture of claim 6,wherein the regenerable cells are produced from protoplasts, calli,meristematic cells, leaves, pollen, embryo, root, root tips, stems,anther, flowers, seeds or pods.
 8. A pea plant regenerated from thetissue culture of claim 6, wherein the regenerated plant has all themorphological and physiological characteristics of a plant of peacultivar designated SL3123, representative seeds having been depositedunder ATCC Accession No. PTA-11756.
 9. A method for producing a hybridpea seed comprising crossing a first parent pea plant with a secondparent pea plant and harvesting the resultant hybrid pea seed, whereinsaid first or second parent pea plant is the pea plant of claim
 2. 10. Amethod of producing an herbicide resistant pea plant comprisingtransforming the pea plant of claim 2 with a transgene that confersherbicide resistance.
 11. An herbicide resistant pea plant produced bythe method of claim
 10. 12. The pea plant of claim 11, wherein thetransgene confers resistance to an herbicide selected from the groupconsisting of imidazolinone, sulfonylurea glyphosate, glufosinate,L-phosphinothricin, triazine and benzonitrile.
 13. A method of producingan insect resistant pea plant comprising transforming the pea plant ofclaim 2 with a transgene that confers insect resistance.
 14. An insectresistant pea plant produced by the method of claim
 13. 15. The peaplant of claim 14, wherein the transgene encodes a Bacillusthuringiensis protein.
 16. A method of producing a disease resistant peaplant comprising transforming the pea plant of claim 2 with a transgenethat confers resistance to bacterial, fungal or viral disease.
 17. Adisease resistant pea plant produced by the method of claim
 16. 18. Amethod of producing a pea pod comprising: a. growing the pea plant ofclaim 2 to produce a pea pod, and b. harvesting said pea pod.
 19. Themethod according to claim 18, further comprising processing said pea podto obtain a berry.
 20. The method according to claim 19, wherein saidberry is a fresh product, a canned product or a frozen product.
 21. Amethod of producing a berry comprising obtaining a pod of the plant ofclaim 2 and processing said pod to obtain a berry.
 22. The methodaccording to claim 21, wherein said berry is a fresh product, a cannedproduct or a frozen product.